Wish You Were Here? Local Airbnb Rental Lands On The Most Wish Lists For New Hanover County

On Airbnb, this vacation rental dubbed, "Wilmington's 'The Great Escape' with Hot Tub!" is the No. 1 wish-listed rental in New Hanover County, according to a recent Airbnb report. (Photos courtesy of Airbnb)

A Wilmington vacation rental dubbed "The Great Escape" landed recently on an Airbnb popularity list.

The vacation rental, which is located not far from Mayfaire, was the No. 1 wish-listed rental in New Hanover County, according to an Airbnb report on the most wish-listed properties in each of the hospitality company’s top 20 home-sharing counties in North Carolina. Its full name on Airbnb is "Wilmington's 'The Great Escape' with Hot Tub!"

“Airbnb’s ‘wish-list’ function allows users to save the listings they most desire when planning trips . . .The most wish-listed listings in North Carolina are among the most unique and special homes on Airbnb’s platform,” the report stated.

Wilmington resident Tim Worman and his wife, Carrie Worman, are the owners and hosts of The Great Escape and The Great Escape 2 in Wilmington, with two other vacation rentals listed on Airbnb that are outside city limits in New Hanover County.

Tim Worman said the Wormans started renting out vacation properties about five years ago when they lived in Colorado.

Of being on the Airbnb list for the No. 1 wish-listed property in New Hanover County, Tim Worman said, “I’m happy about it. I put a lot of work into it, so it’s a good thing.”

For the report, Airbnb tabulated and added up to tens of thousands of wish lists to establish which listing in each area was No. 1.

“It stays booked every night of the year,” Tim Worman said of The Great Escape. “I've got hundreds and hundreds of reviews . . . Everyone leaves good reviews, and it’s kind of close to the beach, kind of close to downtown and only a few minutes from Mayfaire. It's a pretty convenient location.”

He said the hot tub (pictured above) is a popular feature of the rental.

Airbnb officials have said that more than 14,000 people in North Carolina rent out their homes on the platform. Last year, Airbnb hosts in New Hanover County earned nearly $13 million and welcomed 85,000 guests, according to Airbnb

According to the wish-list report, the company recently announced that it delivered $24 million in state and local tax revenue to the state on behalf of its North Carolina hosts in 2018.